


United, Bound, Pack: Standing up to Nightmares

by pairatime



Series: United, Bound, Pack [4]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:35:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9691859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pairatime/pseuds/pairatime
Summary: When nightmares start becoming real Xander's pack want to help deal with them. And as they face down some of their darkest fears their link with one another might just let one of their number face his greatest fear.





	

**Author's Note:**

> AU of the season one episode Nightmare. Knowledge of that episode will be helpful.
> 
> Sorry it's taken so long. I'll try and not let a full two years go by next time.

Is that Xander? Jenny Calendar asked herself as she saw the teen running down the hall clad only in white and blue boxers while myriad of students that were still roaming the halls pointed and laughed.

Why was Xander streaking? If they were trying to lure out a demon or witch or something at the school Giles could, should, have had the decency to let her know she thought before telling the students already in her class to read the board and get started before heading down the hall to follow Xander and find out what was going on.

Turning a corner to see Xander running right into Heidi Barrie and Tor Hauer she has glad she’d decided to follow. The last thing anyone needed was another indent between Xander and Hauer. One hospital trip per semester is quite enough for any one…why was Heidi giving Xander her jacket and what was Hauer getting from his locker…gym clothe. 

They were helping Xander. Was Xander friends with the school bullies? If anyone could befriend them she imagine it would be the talkative and, in his own way, charming young man but, very strange. And there was Willow, but no Buffy or Giles, must not be slayer related, just a high school prank or joke. Snyder could deal with it if he cared enough to Jenny decided turning back toward her class.

She would never understand highschooler.

***Alpha***

He’d been naked. In class. And everyone else had been fully dressed.

“And everyone had just stared and laughed and it wasn’t a dream,” Xander ranted as he pulled Tor’s shirt over his head and man he knew Tor was a bigger guy but he half felt like he was swimming in this shirt. “Thank god I know something who has extra clothe in their locker. I have no idea what I would have done otherwise.”

“No problem Xander. We got your back,” Tor answered with a grin.

“We’ll even give you the shirt on your back,” Heidi joked before, shaking her head, “and I’ve had that dream…just no,” she added firmly.

“I didn’t plan it believe me. My clothing just vanished and it was one of my favorite shirts,” Xander complained a bit as he worked to tuck the shirt into the borrowed sweat pants.

“That shirt wasn’t-On your six,” Tor said, his tone changing abruptly.

Xander’s head shot up at the suddenly feeling of dislike and annoyance he felt from the pair but they weren’t looking at him, they were looking behind, his six Xander reminded himself as he turned not sure what to expect.

He was pleasantly surprised to see Willow, “Hey Willow you didn’t by chance see any of my clothes outside the health room? I should have looked but I was a bit busy with the running in a panic and all,” he asked his friend, frowning when she kept darting his eyes to his left and right. “Willow?”

“You ran so fast and there was this guy miming in the hallway and everyone was watching so I couldn’t get passed and are you sure we’re safe here? Want to go to the library?” the red head asked, her eyes worriedly looking over his shoulders.

“Why wouldn’t we be safe?” Xander asked looking over his shoulders to make sure nothing hellmouthly was happening. But all he saw was Tor and Heidi so he wasn’t sure what…oh, “Hey Willow have you met, and I mean actually met, Tor and Heidi? And guys you know about Willow,” he said stepping aside so the three could see each other without him in the middle.

Which maybe wasn’t the best plan as they just looked at each other, Willow worried, Heidi disinterred and annoyed and Tor glaring like he was ready for a match. No not what Xander had wanted.

“Say hello, now,” Xander suggested draping his arms over Willow and Tor’s shoulder, adding that last bit to Tor and Heidi knowing they’d need the extra push.

“Hi,” Heidi finally said with a roll of her eyes while Tor said, “hello” his tone flat.

“Okay then. Now that introductions are out of the way we need to get to the library and find out what’s happening. Vanishing clothing is not normal so maybe Wendell’s spiders weren’t either,” Xander said as he turned toward the library, they needed to figure this out and find his clothe. He really liked that shirt.

“Wait, you mean the spider freak show we heard about yesterday?” Heidi asked looking less bored and more interested.

“That and the clothe thing are like what happened to us,” Tor asked Xander.

“Yeah, maybe, we need to find out because something is up that’s for sure,” Xander answered with a nod. They were getting the hang of the hellmouthy world. Good. “So I’ll let you guys know, just be careful until then and let Kyle and Rhonda know what’s up,” he warned them.

“Wait, don’t leave us out again. We’re coming with you to help,” Tor said grabbing Xander’s arm.

Xander was able pretty sure he was able to keep his response down to a growl because of how fast his wrestler dropped his arm and kept his eyes down. And that it was Tor. If it had been Kyle…that aside Tor and Heidi just wanted to help and if they had to research it would mean more people to divide the books between, “fine but remember when you get bored of researching you asked for this,” he finished, turning toward the library.

“What? Wait Xander we can’t take them-what about-Giles isn’t going to like this,” Willow’s worried voice made Xander smile.

“It will be fine. They’ve already seen the Buffster in action they know she has the skills Willow. And G-man, well he let it that drop that he’s in the know to Kyle himself,” Xander said as the group quickly made their way through the oddly active halls given class had started already.

“Red alert, where’s Buffy,” Xander called out once the four of them entered the library to only find Giles fixing tea in his office.

“Her father stopped-why are they here and where are your regular clothing?” Giles asked frowning at the group.

“They’re here to help because something is going on G-man because I want to know the answer to that second question myself,” Xander answered, he really wanted that shirt back.

“Yeah we walked into class and Xander’s found himself not wearing much of anything,” Willow helped explain.

“Naked. I was naked in front of class with everyone watching,” Xander added before Willow continued explaining, chipping in himself but he couldn’t stop thinking about all those people watching it.

And he never wanted to be naked in front of that many people again in his life, even in the hall where people were barely looking at him just no. He felt so open and exposed until he was standing behind Heidi while Tor got out some extra gym clothes.

He didn’t mind them seeing him like that Xander realized. He hadn’t even thought about it but he ran straight to them. He knew Tor kept extra stuff and he…he didn’t mind if they saw him. He trusted them… 

“Billy.”

“Wait what? Billy?” Xander asked snapping out of his thoughts at the odd statement.

“You guys have a friend that can make nightmares come true?” Heidi asked, her confusing coming through loud and clear.

“No, no we don’t. Who’s Billy and how?” Xander waved his arms around not sure how to finish the thought.

“He’s a boy in the local hospital. He was beaten, he’s in a coma,” Giles begin to explain.

“The baseballer? That kid is doing this? But he was such a cool kid,” Tor said to the group, turning all eyes toward him, “My father is one of the main fundraise for his team and I volunteer some times.”

“Yes well, somehow I think he’s crossed over from the nightmare world he’s trapped in,” Giles finished.

He came from, there is a nightmare world? “And he brought the nightmare world with him, real nice of him,” Xander said thinking of all the different nightmares he’d had as a kid. He would not want to be trapped in them at all.

“How could he do that?” 

And Xander had to admit his Wills always had the good questions. 

“Things like that are easier when you live on a hellmouth.” Giles answered pulling off his glasses.

And normally the G-man had answers but really hellmouth was all he had, not his best hour Xander thought. 

“Hellmouth?” Tor whispered to Heidi who only shrugged in return.

He’s told them about the hellmouth, Xander knew he didn’t get the whole mystic focus thing as well as their resident watcher but he had covered it…right. Damn he was going to have to sit them down later and check but right now they had something more important to deal with, “Well, we need to stop it, right.” 

“And soon, or everyone in Sunnydale will be facing their own worst nightmares,” Giles told the room.

And the graveness of his tone was even more worrying than normal, he was really worried for them.

“We need to find Buffy. Let her know what’s going one. Given the kinds of things she dreams out as…well it’s imperative we find her as quick as we can,” Giles stated as he grabbed his jacket and scarf.

Oh man the Buffster has end of the world dream Xander realized with a jolt. His nightmares of nakedness and clowns and naizes taking Willow were nothing to that, “We’ll find her faster if we spilt up. Tor, Heidi also look for Kyle and Rhonda-“ Xander suggested as the five exited the library to find the halls in chaos.

“Good idea lets go,” Giles agreed, dashing off before Xander was even able to realize he’d been given a complement.

“Good idea? Faster but not safer guys,” Willow spoke up interrupting Xander and the other two teens before they could walk away.

“I’ll go with Xander,” Tor claimed almost at once drawing looks from the other three teens.

“Okay Tor. Well Heidi, you good sticking with Willow,” Xander half asked half suggested wishing Giles hadn’t been so fast. Leaving Willow alone was Heidi wasn’t the best idea but neither was a group of four, or Willow all alone.

“Sure,” Heidi answered giving Tor a glare, “You own me,” she told her frined before turning to Willow, “And you redhead, don’t talk too much. It annoys me,” she added.

“Ah…Xander?” Willow said looking toward Xander, worried.

And this is why I’ve kept them apart, “don’t worry. You are my best friend and she won’t hurt you, at all,” Xander stated bluntly staring down Heidi,” at all,” he added a second time. Making it clear.

“At all, fine,” Heidi echoed keeping her eyes down as she grabbed Willow’s arm,   
Come on tree, I know where Rhonda likes to make out with Kyle when they have extra time,” she explained to them all before heading down the hall. Her annoyance at it all very clear.

“Well that could have gone better. I’m not sure how but I’m sure it could have,” Xander stated. Maybe if Rhonda had been around from the start it would have gone better, or maybe both of them and Willow, maybe not better he thought before turning toward Tor, at least this he had covered. “Let go hunting and see who we find first.”

“It couldn’t have gone better, only worse. But I’m sure your friend will live,” Tor answered with a smirk, “now where would Buffy be, and just what is a hellmouth?”

***Interlude: Sorororis***

Why did she have to get stuck with the babbling redhead? Tor was so in for it later. And she was going to be very creative about it, Heidi decided, letting her mind drift through all the way she could torment the wrestler. Itching powder in his singlet was always good for a laugh.

“Ah so where are we looking for ah…Rhonda? Because Buffy’s not in her class and she wasn’t in the library so I’m not sure where else to look because she doesn’t really spend any time anywhere else but in all this she might have realized something was up and tried to find out what’s causing it and why are you looking at me like that. I’m talking too much aren’t I. please don’t hurt me. Xander would be mad and you don’t want to make him man I hope. I’m going to stop talking now.”

It was amusing to watch Heidi decided as she observed Willow slowly draw back becoming more and more timid and quieter with each word once she realized that Heidi was glaring at her-and boy had that taken longer then it should- but she understood why Kyle and Xander had their glare offs a bit. They were kind of fun.

She kept glaring at the other teen even after she had finally stopped talking to make sure her point got across, “Good. Now I don’t know where your Buffy might be but Rhonda like cutting out and sneaking off with Kyle to the back storage room in the kitchen so why don’t we go there and see who we find. And let’s keep the talking down.” Heidi made clear as she began walking down the hall leading to the cafeteria.

Heidi really could not understand why Xander liked this girl she was just so…annoying. And now she is raising her hand, “What now,” she demanded to know as she stopped to face tree girl.

“I…well it just that I think we took a wrong turn because…how did we get on stage?”

“What,” Heidi barked about to remind her that they were on the whole other side of the school when she realized it’s wasn’t a wall right next to her but the deep red curtains of the school auditorium. “What the fuck? How did that happen?” she ordered Willow to tell her only she wasn’t there anymore, she was on stage with some guy she’d never seen before and what was she wearing, “what is wrong with this town. Willow lets get out of here.”

Only she couldn’t move. Heidi pulled with all her might but her right leg would not lift off the floor and neither would her left. “Tree girl, I can’t move. They’re like stuck, hey Willow, can you hear me,” Heidi yelled as loud as she could but no one moved. No one reacted. They couldn’t hear her. She was stuck and could only watch. Fuck this wasn’t good.

She was still struggling to move ten minutes later when her foot moved just in time for a mass of blue and red to bowl into her, “fuck watch it,” she growled shoving at Willow trying to get the other girl off her.

“We have to get out of here. I can’t sing and the crowd, run,” Willow’s voice begged.

And over her shoulder Heidi could see a very very pissed group forming. “Okay good plan,” she said, helping each other up as they ran out the stage door.

Right into the cafeteria she found when she smacked right into one of the lunch tables, “the hell? Since when is the auditorium next to the lunch room,” because really she knew her way about the school better than that.

“The auditorium was part of my nightmare, maybe this is where we really were?” Willow offered.

“Great, whole rooms are being created now? Just great. How do we know this isn’t a nightmare,” Heidi snapped as she shoved the table trying to remember just where Rhonda’s storage room was.

“ah…it might be I hadn’t thought of that. We could still be- wait, where is everyone? Shouldn’t there be people here? I mean the halls were full and even the auditorium-”

“Stop talking,” Heidi said holding out a hand turning her head. What was that…she could just barely hear something, wait, someone, “Rhonda, Kyle?” she called out heading toward the main entrance.

“What? Can you hear them? I can’t hear anything,” Willow said following Heidi forward.

“Really? With all that babble,” Heidi answered. How does Xander put up with her she just didn’t understand but finally she wasn’t going to be alone with her. Wait, why was Rhonda and Kyle running? And what was that other…”Run!” She shouted, grabbing the red head’s green kimono and yanking her along as she ran the other way.

“awk, what, what are we running from,” Willow cried out and asked once she had her feet moving.

At least she was running Heidi though, Xander would be pissed if anything happened to his friend on her watch, “I have no fucking clue but Rhonda and Kyle are running too.” Fuck where were they going to go. “We need to hide.”

“There,” Willow yelled, pointing and changing direction toward an open storage room.

“Good eye,” Heidi shouted back as she turned to see Rhonda and Kyle running full tilt into the cafeteria with lots of dark shapes on their heels, “Guys, this way,” she called, waving them toward the storage room, moving next to it herself. 

Then she looked at the dark shapes following her friends and she froze.

They were hyenas. Hyenas were in the school. Hyenas were after them.

The next moments were a frantic blur as the she felt herself being pulled into room moments before Rhonda and Kyle raced through with Kyle pulling the door shut behind him, the hyenas’ teeth snapping even as the door closed on them, forcing them back.

“Thank god you were here Heidi,” Rhonda said grabbing Heidi into a full crushing hug.

“You saved us,” Kyle’s voice whispered into Heidi’s ear as he joined the hug. Heidi would feel him wrapping his arms around the both of them, holding her tight in the middle.

She felt safe and warm. Better than she had all day. “Glad I could help,” she said smiling into Rhonda’s shoulder for a few minutes.

A few minutes broken by an outsider’s voice, “Ah guys, those things are still out there and ah…in a nightmare I don’t think that’s where they stay.”

“Heidi, why is she with you, what is she talking about…and what the hell are you wearing?” Rhonda asked, pulling her head away from Heidi to look at Willow.

After taking a last long breathe as she nuzzle Rhonda’s chest Heidi turned toward Willow as well, unbelieving what she was about to say, “Be nice, she just helped saved us and nightmares are coming true because of Billy? I wasn’t clear on that part,” Heidi finished, gesturing for Willow to speak.

“Oh, Billy is trapped in a nightmare world because of his coma and Giles thinks he’s trying to wake up and come back to our world and he’s bringing those nightmares with him. But he probably doesn’t know what’s going on and couldn’t control it even if he did. It’s all the hellmouth’s doing,” Willow explained 

“Hellmouth? Nightmare world?” Kyle said with a sigh as he rested his chin on Heidi’s head, “I know Xander said this was weird stuff central but…wait the hyenas are a nightmare? So not real?” he asked standing up straight.

“They seemed so real,” Rhonda commented, looking toward the door.

“They _are_ real. That’s why this is so bad. Did you hear about Laura? It was a nightmare that put her in the hospital,” Willow explained to the group as the barking and calling from the hyenas got louder. And there was even banging against the door.

“So we’re right back at those things wanting to eat us…great,” Rhonda said, grabbing Heidi again.

And Heidi didn’t mind that at all as she heard another round of barking, she hugs back harder. “We have to do something. I don’t think that door is going to hold,” she told the other as the door shook.

“They shouldn’t be able to do that. That is a steel fire door,” Kyle said placing himself between his pack and the door.

“I think someone forgot to tell them that,” Willow added with a screech when the door started to bend inward.

Heidi couldn’t take her eyes off the door even as she watched Kyle rip a leg off one of the tables before blocking her view of the door which was bending more and more. Its metal unable to hold against the hyenas.

They were going to be eaten just like they’d eaten…just like they’d eaten Flutie. Karma was real too, damn she hated this town.

Only the banging stopped and the barking and laughing changed to yips and painful cries. “Who-what is attacking them?” Heidi asked as she felt Rhonda draw her closer.

“I don’t know but I don’t trust it not to want to eat us too,” Kyle answered, readying his grip on his improvised weapon.

None of them could take their eyes off the door as it started moving. Being pulled opened slowly its bent form screeching as it scraped across the floor. Heidi found herself clutching the back of Rhonda’s jacket as she head her eyes tight.

Something bad was about to happen. She knew it, she felt it. It was going to be horrible.

“Heidi? Heidi are you okay in there?”

That voice, how could that voice, Heidi couldn’t believe it as she opened her eyes and looked around Rhonda’s shoulder and passed Kyle to see the man standing in the door way.

How was he standing there. How was he alive. Heidi couldn’t help herself as she started walking forward taking him in. He was still in the off the rack rented black tux, his dark blond hair was still ruffles and messed up from what she’d done moments before he left to pick up his date. 

He looked just like she remembered, “Mitch?” she asked stepping around Kyle who, like everyone else, seemed weirdly quite. But she didn’t care. Her brother was alive; he was standing in front of her and alive. “You’re here? You’re alive? How?”

“Well sis, I am here so you got one out of two things right,” Mitch said with a grin as she stepped forward.

And that is when she saw his hand as he dragged it around the door. It was red and dripping. Heidi’s eye’s flashed to the hyenas, or parts of hyenas, scattered along the hall floor. Then she saw her brother’s eyes.

That thing wasn’t her brother, “Mitch,” she whispered as he stepped closer. She tried to step back but she couldn’t. She felt like she couldn’t move. She needed help. She needed her friends, she needed her pack.

In that moment she felt them. She felt their fear-for her- she felt their desirer to protect her. To keep her safe. She wanted that.

Suddenly she was being lifted up and yanked back, away, from Mitch as she saw Mitch falling backward when Kyle’s bat slammed into him with a growl.

“I’m sorry Mitch. You were a cool guy but come near Heidi again,” Kyle barked out as he swung again forcing Mitch to jump back, clearing the doorway.

“Lets go,” Rhonda said into Heidi’s ear as the blond girl was half carried half pulled from the room.

She wasn’t sure which way they went, all she could do was look at the deformed face of her brother glaring at her, Kyle standing tall between.

***Beta***

“So everything super natural is centered on Sunnydale?”

“Well not everything. I think Giles has said there are other places where it happens but in this part of America yeah this is where it all ends up and gets twisted evil because it’s a mouth to hell not heaven. I don’t even know of those exist, oh more chocolate,” Xander explained picking up the new bar and adding it to the handful he already had.

“You aren’t going to really eat all that chocolate are you?” Tor asked, his voice a bit worried.

“Why not I love chocolate. It’s so yummy,” Xander answered unconcerned, taking another bite from the Caramello he was working on, letting the caramel oozed out, leaving a line of caramel across his cheek.

“Maybe, I don’t eat much of it. I’m pretty sure I’ve had more junk food hanging around you this last month than I’ve had in the last 17 years I’ve been alive. I’ve never really cared for it but I may be acquiring the taste,” Tor explained as he reached over running his thumb over the smear of chocolate and caramel next to Xander’s mouth.

“Ah Tor?” Xander questioned watching as Tor licked his thumb, Xander licked his lips to get any remaining chocolate and caramel, no other reason, no other reason at all. It had nothing to do with how Tor looked sucking the caramel from his thumb, nothing to do with that at all, “We should keep moving. We still need to find Buffy, Kyle or Rhonda,” he said turning back toward the hall as he cleared his throat.

“Yeah right we should. We need to let them know what up. So if this place is the mouth of hell why did people move here?” Tor asked his voice very unsteady as well.

“Because we’re dumb?” And that was the best reason Xander could think of because after the last few months he really felt like that is why most people did it. “And if you want to do magic and supernatural stuff it’s apparently really easy here so there is that.”

“You mean like make nightmares real? So this couldn’t happen in some normal city?” Tor asked as they saw a small group run of students running from the principle and PE teacher who were yelling something about the rope climb.

“No. Well I hope not,” Xander said as he watched the group before spotting another candy bar down one of the side halls, “another one nice.”

Tor followed behind, shifting his eyes between Xander and the chocolate bar. “So I have to ask, how is a trail of candy and chocolate bars a nightmare? Because I’m not getting it.”

Xander paused for a long moment frowning, “you know I’m honestly not sure. I don’t remember any dreams that start with a trail of goodies that ends baddy. Mostly I think they lead to a giant bed filled with more chocolate and well someone to eat them with. On good nights more then one someone and while I’m not sure if everything in those dreams are safe, I wouldn’t call them nightmares.” He added as he tried thinking about his dreams.

“Those kind of dreams uh, and just who do you find at the end of the chocolate? Anyone I know?” Tor prompted with a grin as he slugged Xander in the shoulder.

Xander smiled back sidetracked by the last such dream-which had only been earlier in the week-and yeah it had been fun. All kinds of fun with the five of them, “Yeah those kinds of dreams. But I don’t think that’s what going to be waiting for us at the end of this trail. I’m never that lucky,” he commented as he picked up the bar and headed toward the next one. “If fact I should stop but I can’t seem to being myself too,” the dark haired teen finished with a frown.

“Do you want to stop? Because I can just pull you in another direction and that would be it.” Tor offered as he grabbed Xander’s hand, stopping them both.

“That might not be a bad, ooh yeah a Chocoloate Hurricane,” Xander interrupted himself when he spotted the red wrapped bar, “I haven’t seen one of these in years. Not since my…sixth….” Xander trailed off as he heard the laughing. It can’t be he told himself as he looked around, swallowing the chocolate in his mouth.

“What is that laughing? It’s creepy,” Tor said as he too looked around.

Xander swallowed hard as the laughing sound grew closer, turning toward it’s source behind a random hanging sheet of plastic, “it’s can’t be. It was ten years ago,” he mumbled as he backed up into Tor, pressing himself against the wrestler.

“Xander? A clown?”

His name barely registered as he saw the clown walk through the sheets of plastic, laughing as it marched toward the pair. Then it’s raised his hand, and the knife in it, “Run Tor, run,” Xander ordered, shoving Tor back and away from the clown.

“Why the hell is a clown chasing us,” Tor yelled a few moments-and two random turns- later as he ran full tilt next to Xander.

“Because I had a really bad sixth birthday party. Really really bad,” Xander yelled back as they rounded a corner trying his best not to think of that party, or all the things the clown as done in his nightmares in the decade since.

“I knew we shouldn’t have followed that chocolate.”

“Hey, I have a weakness and hurricanes bars they are it,” Xander countered as they burst through a classroom door to find themselves in the locker-room, surrounded by people, “What the hell?”

“How did…wait…is-are they all the football team? Is this a nightmare or the other kind…?” Tor asked trailing off.

But Xander barely heard him his eyes were glued to Larry and his two very whole hands.

“Well well if it isn’t loser and his loser friend. You cost us the game last week. We lost big because of what you losers did to my arms. We’re out of the playoffs because now and it’s all your freaks fault,” Larry said as he punched a locker hard enough to dent it. “And now, now it’s payback time.”

“Nightmare it is,” Tor said as he grabbed Xander’s hand to pull him away from the team, only Xander didn’t move.

He couldn’t. His feet felt stuck to the floor, frozen, as he remembered the feeling of Larry’s hand around his neck. Of not being able to breathe…

“Xander?” Tor asked turning to grab Xander by the shoulders, giving him a shake. “We need to get out of here.”

But Xander didn’t move, he could only watch the slow moving football team coming closer and closer.

Watch as Tor took a swing at the nearest jock, sending him to the floor before shoving pushing and punching the others. Clearly trying to keep them back but Xander saw that they kept coming. Everywhere Xander looked there was more. The locker room was endless and so was the stream of jocks. There was so no was they could be kept back even if all his friends were there.

He couldn’t stop Larry from drawing closer and closer from reaching him. Xander’s hands went to his neck trying to pry off the quarterback’s own hand. They felt so tight. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move, stop himself from being slammed into the lockers. Couldn’t help Tor who was held down by more then a few athletes.

They were trapped. But what was that? Xander struggled to see something at the edge of his blurring vision. Football players were falling over. A knife jetting from their chest…oh god the clown Xander realized at the same moment he realized where the row of falling jocks was heading, and it wasn’t toward him. It was toward Tor.

Something shifted, Larry’s grip lessened as he too turned to look at his falling teammates and that was enough, pushing Larry back Xander dove for Tor. Pushing the other teens off of Tor he grabbed his packmate and ran as everyone in the locker room scatted before the clown.

“Fuck I hate clown,” Xander said a handful of turns later as he and Tor stopped to catch their breathe.

“Better or worse then the football team?” Tor asked from where he was leaning against the wall.

Shaking his head Xander shrugged, “Frying pan, fire, back to frying pan?” he offered.

Tor stood up abruptly, “Frying pan’s back,” he stated looking down the hall.

Turning to look as well Xander saw the clown, laughing and swinging his knife as it made its way toward them.

Taking a breathe Xander shock his head again, “you know what. Enough of this. Enough running for one day,” he yelled, marching right at the clown, blocking the slow moving knife and landing a solid punch square on the clowns big and bright red nose sending the clown to the floor unmoving.

“Nice. I give it nine of ten,” Tor said, clapping Xander on the shoulder.

“Only nine?” Xander asked rasing a brow at the other teen.

“Your balance on the follow through wasn’t the best. You’re not used to punching people. Just need practice,” was Tor’s answer.

“That an offer? But he’s down so let’s get out of here and find the others. Any of the others,” Xander suggested heading down one of the halls, knowing Tor would follow.

***Interlude: Fratertris***

He was never going to get used to that Tor decided as he and Xander walked though a classroom door to find themselves out front of the school rather than in the classroom like they had hoped.

“Just how often does stuff like this happen anyways?” Tor asked as he scanned the area for any sign of Kyle, Rhonda, Heidi or Xander’s Buffy but he didn’t see any of them. He did see an oddly large number of his teammates which was a bit weird. But then that described most of the day.

“Ah, something seems to come up every week or two. This one is very different. I mean it’s so many people. The last time this many people got mixed up in the weirdness it was the demon in the robot. They aren’t that big a deal normally. Just someone on a power trip or vamps being vamps. This, this is one is different.,” Xander rambled as he two looked around the front courtyard.

“So I haven’t just been blind my whole life,” Because really Tor had no idea how he could have missed anything like this before. He has no idea how it’s going to be explained later.

Did they even need to worry about that or did someone else does with that. How did they keep it quiet? “How does everyone not already know? I mean there is no way that everyone has missed all this, I mean the room hopping alone,” Tor shrugged, because weird clowns, Larry and that tap-dance performance aside the going into one room but coming out another was the fucking weirdest part of this mess.

“Believe it or not most people willing forget because they won’t want to know. I was one of them until I saw a vamp burst into dust in front of me. That was a bit of a wake up call,” Xander answered, “and they aren’t here so want to head in the main doors and see where we land?”

Maybe they’d land in the cafeteria, he was starving. “Sure maybe we’ll get-what?” why was he here. What was he even doing in town Tor thought as he spotted his father’s gray Porsche pull up, stopping at the base of the steps. “When did he get back in town?”

“Who? You know who, wait is that your dad?” Xander asked as he turned toward the older looking Tor making his way toward the pair.

Man he looks pissed. Tor hoped his deal didn’t tank. Those were never the best weeks, “Hey dad what’s going on?” he asked.

Tor was still trying to figure out what it could be when he saw the fist swinging. He didn’t understand. His father had never…he wasn’t. Tor couldn’t understand what was going on as he looked up at his father standing over him.

“What’s going on is I found out I have a faggot for a son.”

The disgust and hate packed in those words kept him frozen. He couldn’t make himself move, not even to protect himself from his father’s kicks that followed the repetition of the statement.

Curling up and sucking wind he still couldn’t believe it was happening. His father wasn’t like this, and how did his father know? “How, why,” was all he could muster, looking up at his father.

The dark sneer looking down at his scared him, more then any opponent on the mat, more then any of the vampires they seen. More then any story about demons or monstrous anything they’d heard from Xander. Tor wanted to throw up at the sight of that sneer on his father’s face.

Another kick and his vision started blurring, he could barely focus on anything over the throbbing pain but somehow his father’s voice calling him a fagot, a pussy, a pretend man came though crystal clear.

And then it got worse, “Are you telling me this fudge packing bitch tricked his way onto our team and thought we wouldn’t find out.”

Jeff’s voice. His friend and teammate. He wouldn’t say those things. He-they were friends. Tor knew they were. But that didn’t seem to stop the pain ripping through his body as Tor felt the other wrestler’s leg swigged into him.

Tor could only curl up and try to hide as he heard his father along with his other teammates, his friends, jumping in and throwing more names and words at him.

The longer he was there the harder and faster the kicks and words came, too fast, to hard. Until he couldn’t make out one work from the next, all he heard was the hate and loathing. All he felt was pain.

Then something shifted, something changed. He didn’t feel pain, he didn’t feel alone. He felt Xander and Kyle and Rhonda and Heidi. He felt them and he wasn’t alone. And they knew who he was. He knew they knew how he felt about other guys, even if he never let them say it, they knew. They knew and were his friends still.

Pushing himself to his feet Tor realized the kicks had stopped, as had the words. He didn’t understand until he felt a hand helping pull him to his feet to see Xander, a bit cut up and bruised, standing beside him.

His father and teammates were splitting their glares between the two of them. He’d never been alone. Xander had been trying to reach him the whole time, just like Kyle or the others would have Tor realized. None of them would ever be alone, not as long as a single other member of their pack lived. “I’m not alone,” he said, feeling himself smile at Xander.

“Nope. You are stuck with me for life and I’m pretty sure the others feel the same, maybe even more so,” came Xander’s answer as he draped an arm over Tor’s shoulder.

Tor couldn’t help but smile at that, “yeah. I can’t believe I forgot that.”

“You’ve pulled and recruited others into his corrupt lifestyle. You are even more disgusting then I though. You are no son of mine. I have no son,” Tor’s father stated coldly glaring at both teens.

The courtyard was quiet for a long moment as Tor took in a breathe, deep as his sore body would let him, as he leaned into the comforting shoulder hug Xander was giving him. He wasn’t alone. 

“Let’s go and find the others,” Tor said simply at last as he turned away from his father and toward the main doors of the school.

Ignoring his teammates as well Tor focused on the steady footfall beside him as the two made their way to and through the large double doors which strangely enough landed them in the front hallway of the school. “Did we just go through doors but not go someplace weird?” Tor asked frowning at the trashed entry way, not a single poster was still on the walls and there was paper everywhere, just where did it all come from?

“Yeah I think we did and the courtyard is empty. How did they move so fast?” Xander asked.

Turning around to look through the glass front doors Tor saw that Xander was right. The front steps were clear of everyone, not a single wrestler or even his father’s car was anywhere in sight. “Weird.” He said, but he couldn’t bring himself to think or care about it beyond that. “But let’s find Kyle.”

“Right,” he heard Xander say beside him as he started walking deeper into the building.

He’d only gone a couple of steps before he felt Xander’s hand grabbing his shoulder, pulling him to a stop.

“Tor. I don’t know if that was a nightmare or real or some weird mix of both but it doesn’t matter,” Xander’s voice was strong and confident. “We’ve got your back like you’ve got ours. We’re pack. We’ll always be there.”

Tor had no idea how Xander knew what to say. But he did, “Yes. I just…I forgot for a moment.”

“You didn’t, the nightmare did,” Xander said before hesitating for a moment-with a look on his face Tor didn’t understand- before awkwardly giving Tor another shoulder pat then turning toward the inner hallways of the school, “Now let’s go make sure the others’ nightmares aren’t pulling the same trick on them.”

“Got it,” Tor answered as he fell into step beside Xander.

***Omega***

Given their day so far Xander was more then a little surprised when a classroom door opened and it was Rhonda and Heidi, with Kyle and Willow on their heels, that ran smack into him and Tor and not some random half forgotten night terror, or Larry.

Then he saw the makeshift bat in Kyle’s hand lightly coated in drying blood. Clearly he and Tor hadn’t be the only ones having fun, “Everyone okay?” Xander asked Kyle as he looked all four of the other teens over. Even going so far as to make them all turn in place to check for any injuries they might not have realized they’d gotten. But they were all clear.

“We ran into some hyenas and Heidi’s brother but we’re good. We’re okay. We really do need to get out of here because while both the hyenas and Mitch are dead he’s the walking and talking kind and fuck I’m starting to sound like you. We really need to do something about these nightmares, now,” Kyle answered with a frustrated growl.

Xander grinned and slapped the other dark haired teen on the back, “good job keeping them safe but yeah we need to fine Bufffy, Giles and help stop this. But we do it staying together.”

“And I think I might have an idea of how to do that,” Giles said as he and Buffy walked out of a classroom they hadn’t be in.

“G-man, Buff-ah Buffy?” Xander sputtered as he noticed Buffy. She was doing her best to hide her face but the bit yellow eyes and prominent ridges were not easily hid.

“Yeah I have messed up right-,” Buffy started to say aggressively, her voice rough and throaty, until she was interrupted.

“No, we get it. We get it,” Rhonda cut in to say as she hugged Heidi all the harder.

Nodding Xander tried to share as much comfort with the others as he could over their link. He just wished he knew if it was working.

“You have an idea to stop this? How?” Willow asked, stepping to the front of the group to stand beside her friend.

“Well yes. I believe the surest way to stop the total collapse of our word into the realm of nightmares is to wake Billy up. Pulling him from his nightmare should pull us from ours. Which means we need to reach the hospital as soon as possible,” Giles explained to the group.

“Yeah. I’m getting hungry,” Buffy informed the group.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Xander asked, “Lets get going.”

“My car won’t hold more then four and walking will take far too long,” Giles said, his eyes lingering on the extra members of their team.

“I’ve got a car,” Tor offered quickly. “Between the two we can fit everyone.”

“We saw the student parking lot a moment ago, it has been hit by an earthquake, Giles stopped at a lost for words.

“Half the cars weren’t even there anymore. Neither was half the street really,” Buffy added.

“Damn,” Tor answered as he the others exchanged looks.

Xander turned toward Kyle after giving Buffy and Giles a glance, “Okay then,” grabbing Kyle by the shoulders then shifting a hand to Kyle’s neck to make sure Kyle was looking right at him, not down or away, not this time. “Take care of them; get somewhere safe just in case. Keep them safe,” he ordered Kyle.

“Always,” Kyle answered with a nod.

Smiling Xander nodded back then nodded to the others before turning around to face Buffy, Giles, and Willow, “So where is the teacher’s parking lot anyways?”

***

“That guy ever shows up anywhere near kiddy league and I’m crack _his_ head and he can spend a week in a coma.”

Xander nodded in agreement with Tor’s comment as he settled into a patch of grass near the school’s outdoor lunch tables, resting his head in his arms.

“And how is it only now the end of school? I swear it felt like hours,” Xander heard Rhonda asked the group while she laid her head near Xander’s waist while pulling Heidi into a solid embrace.

“Dream time,” Kyle offered with a shrug, settling opposite Rhonda, “I’m just glad it’s over. I have no idea where those hyenas came from but they can stay there.”

At the slight shudder he felt from Rhonda Xander reached out, resting an arm on her shoulder.

They had all been effected by their possession, nothing short of the supernatural would have made them friends let alone more than friend. But the other four seemed more disturbed by the experience than he was and Xander had to wonder was that because of Flutie or because he knew about the mystical before it happened…and was there any way to ever know? Probably not he decided. And really it didn’t matter, the five of them were what they were…and why did he only feel four.

“Tor?” Xander asked, pushing himself up just enough to see his surrounding better without forcing the others to move, “what’s wrong,” he asked spotting the final member of their pack sitting a few feet away, hands wrapped around his knees.

“Are we sure it wasn’t real? That the nightmare didn’t. Do we know they didn’t do those things?” he asked, his voice only just over a whisper.

“Tor,” Kyle asked. The teen’s worry and panic for his best friend coming through their shared link only slightly stronger then Rhonda and Heidi’s own concern.

Quieting them with a hush Xander pointed at Tor and then the patted the ground nearer to the rest of them while looking Tor over, trying to lock eyes with him. But he couldn’t because Tor turned away, head bowed facing the ground, otherwise unmoving.

“Tor,” Xander repeated with a bit of a growl in his voice pushing himself up a bit more. Now focused on Tor he could feel the sadness and fear coming off the wrestler. The uncertainty and hesitation.

“Xander…” Tor’s voice was soft and quiet. Too soft and quiet.

Forcing the others to move Xander moved to Tor’s side, wrapping his arms around the blond man and pulled Tor half onto him. “The nightmares never happened. We’re among the few that remember,” Xander whispered, glancing toward the other three who were moving to join them.

“How are you so sure,” Tor asked; his body still stiff and ridge even embraced by the others.

“We haven’t been called into Snyder office for beating anyone up and you know that had to have been at least a few of these losers nightmare,” Ronda explained simply.

“And you share math with Jeff right, he say anything?” Xander asked, tightening his hug when Tor’s reacted to the name but Xander pressed on, “Did he?”

They all waited for a long minute until Tor answered, “No, no he didn’t…My father’s still in New York. I checked with Martha,” Tor added on his own.

“It was a nightmare. One that didn’t come true,” Xander repeated. Smiling when he felt Tor relax a bit in there arms.

The five of them stayed that way for a while, resting and relaxing until it was Tor that broke the silence, “I have to tell you all something. I need you to really know.”

“Anything,” Heidi said first as she nuzzled more onto Tor’s lap.

The others were quiet but focused as they all looked toward Tor, waiting.

“I’m gay,” Tor said a few moments later, his body become very tense.

Running one hand through Tor’s short blond hair Xander held on firmly with the other, “And one of us.”

“Xander’s right. You’re my best friend and have been for years. If getting possessed didn’t change that nothing will,” Kyle added as he leaned close and rested on Tor’s shoulder, “I’ll always be at your side.”

“Nothing is getting you out of whatever fucked up supernatural shit is happening to us. You’re stuck with us so just deal with it,” Rhonda shot at Tor with a smile as she laid on Kyle.

Heidi just leaned forward and kissed Tor on the forehead before snuggling back into his arms, sighing contently.

“You guys really don’t care,” Tor whispered as Xander felt the teen relax into his arms.

None of them answered Tor, Xander knew they didn’t need to. All five of them felt the answer.

***

Looking at the clock Xander frowned, six o’clock. At night. Just what was he doing at school so late at night, it was just wrong. Completely wrong to be at school after the final ball but since he meet Buffy the School library seemed to have become a second home, which was also very very wrong.

But he wasn’t here tonight because of Buffy or saving the world. It was time he and Giles, and god help him Giles’ books, need to have a Q and A, without Buffy and Willow around which meant late.

Sometimes he hated his new life Xander thought to himself as he walked through the back library door Giles had started leaving unlocked for them. Walking through the stacks and into the entry way Xander frowned. No one was at the front desk nor had he heard anyone else among the shelves.

Just were was the Brit hiding. 

Hunting around the front of the library Xander growled to himself seeing the empty office and front stacks. The place was deserted save for him...he should leave. Come back later when Giles was around.

Only he needed to know more about what was going on. He’d felt his nightmare change, he felt Tor and the others and everything…shifted. He even felt it during Tor’s nightmare. Xander knew it had to be the link but….he needed to know what was going on so where was their darn librarian and why wasn’t he with his books.

Xander really didn’t want to have to go thought the books on his own, but he might not have a choice.

Damn his annoying need to look out for his friend. He was used to it getting him in trouble but not reading. That was way too close to class work.

He growled again as he looked at the bookshelves that held the occult and supernatural books. It was way too big for a slacker to be going through. With a sigh he pulled a book from the shelf.

***epilog***

Frank frowned at his son, watching as the young man pushed the pot roast around the plate, not eating much. Which was odd. He knew his son loved Claire’s roast so he didn’t understand why the kid wasn’t eating it.

And come to that Tor hadn’t said much either and that wasn’t like his son. Tor wasn’t a chatter normally but he wasn’t taciturn by any means either but today…

“What happened while I was gone,” Frank asked flat out, setting his fork down and turning all his focus on his son.

Tor never looked up from his plate, just mumbled that everything was fine. Which told Frank things were anything but fine. “No it’s not, so tell me. What happened when I was gone,” he asked again. He’d spoken to Coach the week before so everything should be fine with wrestling. And grades weren’t out for another three weeks so that can’t be it.

That doesn’t leave much unless…has his boy finally start dated again, “Is it a girl? I know you haven’t date much since freshmen year but I’m sure you can get back into the swing of things. You’re a catch so any girl should be thrilled you show interest.”

Yes he figured it out Frank congratulated himself when Tor put down his fork and looked up. Finally, he knew training takes up a lot of his boy’s time but every young man needs to have some fun. And unless it’s that Chase girl he’d be happy with just about anyone from that school. Her father is just so stuck up. And he wreaked that deal last year. But his son has better taste then her. Maybe, what was Tor’s taste?

“So who is she, tell me about her? She play sports too? Maybe field hockey or basketball? Or are you into the music type? Or a cheerleader?” Frank asked, feeling out his son’s interest.

“No he’s, no.” Tor’s voice was low

His son did not just say that. He miss heard. Yeah that’s all. “ _She_ Not into sports? Or she isn’t into music? Is she one of the smart bookworms? We’ve all crushed on our tutors.”

“He isn’t my tutor but he is smart and he doesn’t play sports but he could if he wanted to. He just don’t want to.”

His son was saying he. His son was saying he-for a guy. His son was a fa-fuck. Forcing out a breathe Frank closed his eyes, carefully keeping his hands on the table. Windy why couldn’t you be here. Windy loved him. Windy’s son. His son. Their son. All he had left.

What was that noise “sit your ass back down right now!” Frank ordered as he snapped open his eyes to see Tor starting to stand. 

This was not over he thought as he watched Tor lower himself back down, “I want to be very clear. Are you saying you have feeling, those kinds of feeling, for a guy? Is that what you are saying Tor?” Frank stated, his eyes never leaving Tor who was now looking up, meeting his eyes.

Hearing the words yes from his son Frank wished he’s requested something more then a light red for dinner as he drained the glass before carefully setting it down.

“So,” he said watching his son fidget. What was he going to do. He had a fag for a son…Windy’s son. He loved him so much. Would she care? Tor was his last link…fuck he thought he had the perfect son, fuck.

“You’re staying on the team. You will win and you will go to UC Sunnyvale and pledge Alpha Kappa. That will not change. Am I clear.” There is only one right answer.

Frank unclenched his hands when his son gave the right, only, answer. “Fine. You and this boy will be discreet. I don’t want to be hearing any damn gossip.” If those bitches at the club find out about this…Windy. Windy

Fuck he need to think, “I left some work back at the office. Don’t wait up but finish your plate. Claire didn’t make your favorite for you to waste it,” Frank ordered as he stood up and walked from the room.

He still had that bottle of Jack in his desk, damn if he didn’t need it.

***The End***


End file.
